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Parkersburg[1] is a city of 33,099 people (as of 2000) in West Virginia. Founded in 1820, the city was originally named Newport, which was changed to Parkersburg in 1810. The city is situated where the Little Kanawha River meets the Ohio river; the town of Belpre lies just across the river in Ohio. Among Parkersburg's more famous residents is Morgan Spurlock, director of the 2004 film Super Size Me; the city's film connections continued with the 2006 film Bubble, which was filmed in the area and starred local residents. The area also has a long history with oil drilling, and is arguably the home of the first documented commercial use of oil in the US.

See

Blennerhassett Island, 137 Juliana Street, 304-420-4800, [4]. Island open from May to October, museum open year-round; check website for hours. An Irish aristocrat built a mansion here in 1798, before being accused of treason and briefly imprisoned. The original mansion burned down in 1811, but the foundation was rediscovered in 1973 and has been carefully reconstructed. Features a museum with an orientation video and three floors of archaeological and historical exhibits, horse-drawn wagon rides, and tours of Blennerhasset Mansion. Visitors can also go picnicking, bike riding, or take nature walks. Allow three hours for a complete tour, including the 20-minute sternwheeler ride to and from the island. Adult admission prices are $2 (museum), $8 (boat ride), $3 (mansion tour) and $5 (wagon ride).

Oil and Gas Museum, 119 Third Street, 304-485-5446 or 304-428-8015, [5]. Open 12 pm to 5 pm Sunday through Friday, and 10 am to 5 pm on Saturdays. Covering the history of the oil and gas industry in West Virginia and Ohio with videos, pictures, interactive displays and artifacts - from manufacturing and transportation, to its effects on local wealth and culture, and the resulting impact on state founding and the Civil War.

Julia-Ann Square, 304-428-0124, [6]. A district of historic homes being preserved and restored. You can take a self-guided walking tour of the area, or a guided tour in mid-October and early December.

North Bend State Park, off WV-31 near Cairo, 304-643-2931, [9]. Fishing streams, swimming pool, mountain biking, horseback riding and hiking trails, including the 72-mile North Bend Rail Trail. The park has a 305-acre lake for fishing and boating, as well as carriage rides on weekends from May until October. Lodge with on-site restaurant, cabins and campground accommodations available. On-site gift shop.

Do

Haunted Parkersburg Ghost Tours, 320 Market Street, 304-428-7978, [10]. Operating from mid-September through Halloween. Learn about the Banshee of Marrtown, the East End Ghoul, the West Virginia Mothman, the Men in Black and the appearance of the alien Indrid Cold. Two-mile walk taking less than two hours. $8.

Events

Mid-Ohio Valley Multicultural Festival, city park, 304-428-4405 or 304-428-1552. Held every June. Three days of entertainment, cuisine, education and artistic expressions from many cultures.

Parkersburg Homecoming Festival, Second Street and Ann Street, 304-422-9970, [11]. Held every third Friday in August. A parade, arts and crafts booths, a flea market, pageants, a talent show, a wacky raft race, a rubber ducky derby and a chess tournament.

Harvest Moon Arts and Crafts Festival, city park, 304-424-3457. Held every September. Quality food, entertainment and approximately 200 booths displaying wares from local and regional artists and craftsmen.

West Virginia Honey Festival, city park, 304-428-5835 or 304-428-1130. Held every September to educate the public on beekeeping, honey and the uses of honey. Baking contest and auction, entertainment, concessions, arts and crafts and a beard of live bees.

Volcano Days Festival, route 50 in Waverly, 304-679-3611, [12]. Held the fourth weekend in September on the site of the extinct oil town of Volcano, West Virginia, which was once like a gold-rush town until it was utterly destroyed by fire in 1879. Historical lectures, flea market, arts and crafts, races, live entertainment and the "Almost Famous" chicken dinner.

Learn

The area newspaper is the Parkersburg News and Sentinel, 519 Juliana Street, 304-485-1891 or 800-642-1997, [13].

West Virginia University at Parkersburg, 300 Campus Drive, 304-424-8000 or 800-WVA-WVUP, [15]. A regional campus of West Virginia University in Morgantown, founded in 1961 and offering a blend of certificate and associate programs as well as select bachelor's degrees in applied technology, elementary education, business education, bachelor of arts, nursing, criminal justice and social work.

Fenton Art Glass, 700 Elizabeth Street in Williamstown, 304-375-6122, [16]. Founded in 1905, Fenton is the largest manufacturer of handmade colored glass in the United States, known for its innovative glass colors as well as hand-painted decorations on pressed and blown glassware. Gift shop and museum on-site. Free factory tours available from 8:15 am to 4 pm Monday through Friday.

Lee Middleton Original Dolls, 1301 Washington Boulevard in Belpre, 740-423-1481 or 800-233-7479, [18]. Open 9 am to 5 pm Monday through Saturday; between March and December, the store is also open Sundays from 12 pm to 5 pm. Producing vinyl baby dolls with realistic faces for over 25 years. Factory tours available.

Made in West Virginia, Main Street in Cairo, 304-628-3321. Furniture, paintings, pottery, glass, books, jewelry, homemade food, musical instruments and more, created by some of West Virginia’s best artists and artisans.

Scenes of West Virginia, 1709-11 St. Marys Avenue, 304-428-0772 or 877-987-2363, [21]. Offers a wide Variety of items made in West Virginia, including calendars, souvenirs, books, Fenton Art Glass, and hillbilly novelties.

Trans Allegheny Books, 725 Green Street, 304-422-4499. West Virginia's largest used bookstore, located in the restored 1905 Carnegie Library building, with over 500,000 used books and more than 1,000 new WV titles.

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